Drake‘s manager Oliver El-Khatib has sat down for an interview with GQto discuss the strategy and story behind his success with OVO. El-Khatib revealed that it was their desire to embrace what made them unique instead of attempting to fit into the scene that saw them achieve success:

“I remember guys walking around Caribana talking like they’re from New York, to impress girls. We took the flaws and flipped it. We Eminem’d it.”

El-Khatib went on to reveal that at OVO, they’ve always attempted to champion the underdog and make them cool:

“The OVO clothing line zigged to branded sweats when everyone was zagging to high-fashion collaborations. They zigged to Apple Music when TIDAL was assembling the Avengers of pop… When entertainers flocked to Adidas to launch sneaker collabs, Drake went to Jordan Brand.”

In the end, the successful manager reveals that it’s most important for him to trust his gut:

“No one is going to tell you that you’re making the right move. But you have to have blind faith. I just had a sickness—a sick belief that it’s all going to work out.”